Lubrication is an important aspect of maintaining machinery in proper operating condition. Machine elements such as bearings, journals, shafts, and joints require proper lubrication between their moving surfaces to decrease friction, prevent contamination, reduce wear and dissipate heat. Improper lubrication is likely to lead to premature component wear and component or system failure.
When determining the optimal lubrication between moving machine elements, many factors should be considered. These factors include the mode of operation of the machine, the type of machine element to be lubricated, the environment of the machine, the operating speed of the machine, the lubricant's viscosity, the lubricant's temperature, the lubricant's ingredients, and the lubricant's condition.
Lubricators supply a constant level of lubricant within a lubricant reservoir to a machine element. The lubricant level is predetermined for the particular application and cannot be changed during the operating time of the machine to which the constant level lubricator is attached. Although most lubricators provide reasonable performance in many steady-state operations, multiple variables can create unacceptable operating conditions and lead to premature wear, or even failure, of machine elements. The variables include “on” and “off” operating modes (machine cycling), oil viscosity, machine speed, lubricant temperature, lubricant vessel pressure, and lubricant condition.
Certain devices serve to indicate the status of the equipment's lubrication such as lubricant condition within acceptable levels, lubricant condition at the upper limit of acceptable levels, and lubricant condition immediate action required. These devices signal an operator when the lubricant condition is at the upper limit of acceptable levels or if immediate action is required. This reduces maintenance costs and productivity is enhanced.
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for ensuring new and in service lubricants are applied in proper condition. The design criteria of target equipment by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM's) ordinarily outlines specific target cleanliness levels of lubricants to maximize the equipment life expectancy. Unfortunately, “new” lubricants may not meet the required target cleanliness code and therefore should be filtered prior to being put into service. The present apparatus and methods can be used to both filter new lubricants and to reduce contamination levels of lubricants in service. This increases equipment reliability and reduces overall maintenance costs.
Presently, there are very few devices adapted to filter lubricants having viscosities greater than 500 SUS @ 100° F. A problem with filtering a high viscosity lubricant with a lower viscosity system is that the pump and filters are not designed to work with the higher pressures required to push high viscosity fluids through the system. As a result, the known low viscosity units operate primarily in “bypass” mode where little if any of the high-viscosity lubricant gets filtered. The present portable filter cart system provides a solution, and is specifically designed for use with high-viscosity fluid lubricants, such as gear oils. Further, the present system is able to filter oils and hydraulic fluid up to 7500 SUS @ 100° F. (1600 cSt @ 40° C.). Alternatively, the present system may be used to filter oils or hydraulic fluid of medium to low viscosity of less than 2000 SUS.